Aruba Mobility Expert (Written) study plan

Aruba Mobility Expert (Written) · Give each week a clear focus.

8 weeks · About 7 hours per week

Week 1

Network Design and Architecture & Mobility Controller Deployment and High Availability

Diagram a three-tier campus WLAN design showing controller placement, VLAN boundaries, and redundant uplinks
Compare centralized, distributed, and mixed controller deployment models and justify a choice for a given scale and traffic pattern
Explain how Aruba Mobility Master and managed-node hierarchy maps to a design's management plane
List the design inputs (client density, throughput targets, roaming domains, PoE budget) that drive controller sizing

A one-page reference design document with topology diagram, controller model choice, and sizing rationale for a 2,000-client campus

Week 2

Configure an active-standby controller pair and verify state transitions after a forced failover
Describe the difference between VRRP-based redundancy and cluster-based (Mobility Conductor) high availability
Trace the failover sequence for AP and client state during a controller loss
Identify which licensing and configuration elements must match across HA peers

A written failover test report documenting observed convergence time, AP rejoin behavior, and any client-visible disruption

Week 3

Build an SSID, virtual AP, and AP group configuration from a blank controller and validate client association
Map RF arm profiles, channel/power assignments, and regulatory domain settings to a given deployment scenario
Explain band steering, client match, and airtime fairness and predict their effect on a mixed-client environment
Configure and interpret a basic RF neighborhood/ARM scan result

A working lab configuration export plus a checklist mapping each RF profile setting to its operational purpose

Week 4

Compare 802.1X, MAC-based, captive portal, and PSK authentication flows and select the right one per use case
Configure a RADIUS server profile and role-based access with per-role VLAN and ACL assignment
Explain certificate requirements for EAP methods and for controller/portal identity
Distinguish authentication, authorization, and accounting events in a client connection trace

A role-mapping matrix (client type to authentication method to role to VLAN/ACL) validated against a lab client of each type

Week 5

Configure controller uplinks, static routes, and OSPF adjacency with an upstream switch and verify reachability
Explain how GRE tunneling, bridge mode, and local breakout affect traffic flow and routing design
Describe VLAN pooling, DHCP relay behavior, and multicast handling across the controller
Trace a packet path from wireless client to core for a tunneled versus locally bridged SSID

A routing verification log (show-command outputs and expected vs. observed results) for a tunneled and a bridged SSID

Week 6

Apply a structured troubleshooting sequence for a client that fails to associate, authenticate, or obtain an IP
Interpret controller logs, AP debug output, and station records to isolate a fault to one layer
Diagnose a roaming failure and an RF coverage gap using collected evidence
Differentiate controller-side, AP-side, and infrastructure-side causes of intermittent connectivity

Three written troubleshooting case studies, each with symptom, evidence collected, root cause, and fix

Week 7

Configure monitoring alerts, syslog, and SNMP polling targets and confirm data is received
Explain firmware upgrade planning, image staging, and rollback considerations for controllers and APs
Describe the purpose and prerequisites of advanced services such as location services, AirGroup, and guest/onboarding workflows
Outline a routine maintenance schedule covering backups, license audits, and config drift checks

An operations runbook covering backup, upgrade, monitoring, and alert-response procedures

Week 8

Re-review weak areas identified by prior deliverables and close each gap with a targeted lab exercise
Complete timed practice sets weighted to the two heaviest domains
Rehearse explaining design and HA tradeoffs aloud to simulate scenario-based reasoning
Verify command-level recall for verification and troubleshooting outputs

A scored full-length practice attempt with a written remediation list for every missed domain

Week 2: Can explain and demonstrate controller HA failover end to end without notes

Week 4: Can design an authentication and role strategy for a mixed client population and defend each choice

Week 6: Can isolate a simulated fault to a single layer using only logs and show-command output

Week 8: Practice score meets or exceeds target passing threshold in both heavy domains